I really like the aquarium pictures and think that if you didn't have to do anything much to these pictures that your HS20EXR did wonderfully coupled with your point of view.
Well, I guess it always helps a bit if you know what you are doing, and it's a fact that less than 10% of all the pictures shown in this thread do
not include any manual exposure or flash energy compensation in their EXIF data. So I guess folks who want to use this (or any other) camera only in "full auto" mode with standard settings (no matter when and where) might not end up completely satisfied with the results. Of course, they will most certainly blame the camera for that.
Regarding post processing, I didn't have to do much with most of the aquarium pictures, basically just the usual simple iPhoto adjustments. Of course, the B&W stuff needed some conversion in Topaz, but I consider this software much simpler and less sophisticated than the NIK Efex suite. I bought the entire Topaz suite on the day before I went on this trip and basically learned how to use it intuitively on the fly.
As I already mentioned in the OP, I only shot in JPEG with medium resolution (8 MP), so there were no RAW files to fall back on to "rescue" or "tweak" anything. I wouldn't have had the time or nerve for this kind of work, anyway, as this was supposed to be a fun trip, quick and easy. The HS20 is no miracle machine, and I might have achieved similar results with similar cameras from other camera makers. I can't say for sure, as this wasn't a comparative test, but I remember taking decent pictures with various Lumix bridge cameras between 2004 and 2008. What I can positively say is that working with the HS20 was more fun than I thought, because I expected the camera to act up more in difficult situations.
That's not to say that the HS20 didn't act up at all. It sure did. For example, there were several situations where the AF simply wouldn't have a clue and wouldn't focus on the subject, not even in broad daylight. Drives you crazy, and I missed a few cool shots due to that. I remember one instance when I actually began to shout at the goddamn thing, earnestly threatening to kill it. Tough love.
In the end, I can only show you shots that somehow worked, not the ones that I (or the camera) missed. That's why, for example, you won't see a single shot of the penguins. It's not that I didn't try hard, but it simply didn't work out, so I tossed everything away. Then again, the X100 is a beast, as well, though a pretty likable one if you find a way to get along with her. My philosophy regarding different cameras is very simple: I always try to work
with them (never against them), focus on their individual strengths and try to circumvent their weaknesses. It's far too frustrating to
insist or
demand that a certain camera
has to be good at this or that when it just isn't. For example, the HS20 won't be great for shooting action, so I didn't shoot action. The roller coaster shots don't really count, as those were prefocused. Coasters are running on tracks, so you get a pretty clear idea of
where they are going.
And as for the
when: 11 fps will take care of that, as well.
